The 365 Commitment

Day 74 – Driven by Life-force, and Gratitude

Instead of writing this morning, I would prefer sleeping. But, I am here nonetheless thinking about what is worthy to write. Being over concerned with writing something “worthy” would stop me from moving forward. Hmmm.

I think that creative endeavor requires production. Creating good art requires making a lot of bad art. Maybe 10% will be great and the rest not so much. But, the gold nugget will emerge, that one idea in ten will shine forth from the tailings of your productivity. That moment produces a great feeling worth seeking out!

Some people are not concerned with creating something new and unique. But, for me this is something I really get a kick out of. I enjoy it and know I have the capacity for it. Creating unique and beautiful things is fun and a great joy, part of an innate desire to explore and create.

One of the mind games I would play as a kid was walking where no other person had walked. I’d would wonder if someone had stepped in the exact location of my foot fall as I walked to and from school. This partly drew me to wilderness hiking, where I could imagine a piece of ground untouched, or would wonder how long it had been since someone stepped in a particular spot, and who were they, or how many? What was their story from long ago?

The truth is every action makes things unique in some way. If only that it is marked by a specific moment in time, or simply gazed upon by you, it is unique. Observance changes things as the quantum physicists have proven. Imagine that. Simply being conscious and observing something changes it! What an interesting life we have! What a gift! If simply looking at something changes it, consider the change you can manifest in the world by seeking to create beauty and elegant order.

So, don’t worry about proving yourself, or earning worthiness. Instead, be motivated by gratitude for life’s opportunity. Act in ways that create joy and bring honor to your gift of life and consciousness. I see participating in the 365 Commitment in this light.

The 365 Commitment, for me, is not about proving myself, or becoming worthy, it is about honoring the gift that is my life with conscious effort. It is about taking this gift of life seriously. It is about disciplining myself in order to reap benefits associated with delayed gratification, and minimize losses that result from impulsive pleasure. It is a framework, a mental environment, that supports growth. Just as a tree will grow naturally in the right environment, so will we. The tree is not trying to be worthy, it is just growing naturally driven by life-force.

Ben Wagner (81)

Member The 365 Commitment

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